Cottage-tent.



PATENTED SEPT. 12, 190-5.

H. W. smoun.

COTTAGE TENT.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.16. 1904.

INVLNTOR. Ham- M-, m BYJ? 5 6 ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

COTTAGE-TENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Batented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed December 16, 1904. Serial Ne. 237,179.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY W. STRoUD, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in Cottage-Tents; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in cottage-tents; and the invention consists in the construction of the tent substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cottage-tent built upon the plan of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the skeleton frame thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the upper angles or corners of the frame; and Fig. 4 is a further enlarged view of the same or similar corner in plan and section horizontally, so as to disclose the relation of the corner tie-bolt to the other parts, and all as hereinafter more fully described. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of one of the upper side rails of the frame and a fragment of post connected therewith, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the cornerposts.

The frame as thus shown and described is of a knockdown type and is preferably made of wood, though it might beinade of metal in whole or in part, but when erected is designed to be perfectly rigid and durable and of a pattern and style to be conveniently covered with canvas, so as to afford both room and comfort within.

In thisinstance the tent is provided with a board or plank floor F, which rests at its ends upon the bottom or base piece B of the main frame, so as to be above the ground and avoid dampness, and is otherwise suitablysupported between its ends. However, some may pref fer a ground-floor instead, and such a floor is often desirable in summer in dry places, and the occupant may choose as to one or the other.

The main frame of the cottage or tent comprises the base pieces or rails B, the corresponding upper pieces or beams O, cornerposts D, and intervening Window or door posts E. All these several parts are constructed to be separably connected, and to this end both the upper and the lower bars or or corner of the said bars and frame, and

tie-bolts Gr run diagonally through the meeting-rails at each corner, top, and bottom, somewhat back from the immediate angle thereof, as shown in Fig. 4c, and serve to rigidly tie or connect the said bars across the corners. All the several angles or corners of the upper and lower rails B and O are built alike in these particulars, so that a description of one serves for all, and the corresponding rails above and below are interchangeable. The corner-posts D are also constructed with a view to matching these corners and to serve the purpose of supports as well as to engage in or with the means for locking said corners and posts together. To these ends each post D has a triangular or three-sided tenon or projection (Z at its top extending up beyond its own shouldered end (Z, and the depth or crosssection of said post from its outer preferably rounded surface (Z2 to the inner surface of projection d is equal to the distance from the outer curved edges of the extremities 2 and 3 of the side rails to the said projection which overlaps the angle outside. The said projection (Z is fashioned in triangular form, as shown, in order to fit into the angle or corner of the side rails of which bolt G occupies one side, and it has the depth of the said rails, as shown. Thus said projection becomes part of a lock in the corner of the angle of the said rails with the bolt B and helps to make the corners perfectly rigid and strong, while the weight of the rails rests down upon the shoulder or topd of the post. The same construction reversed as to position is present in the lower corners with the rails B, and in that case theshoulders d of the posts rest upon the lower rails. Suitable collars or washers 4 upon the ends of the bolts outside of the beams provide bearings for the bolts G against the beams, and this is deemed the better construction than to let the bolts into the beams, as would otherwise be required to give the heads and nuts thereof flat bearing-surfaces.

The intermediate studding or posts E centrally in the several sides of the tent are shouldered off at their ends to be bolted upon the bars or rails O and D relatively as seen in Fig. 5, where bolts 5 unite the posts and the beams, but any other suitable connection may be employed at these ends, and the space between any two or pair of the said posts E may be utilized for either doors or windows, as may be preferred, or they may be entirely closed, as will hereinafter more clearly appear.

The cover or roof of the tent is supported by means of a frame having a relatively short reach or top rail H and a pair of braces h, pivoted on each end with separate side braces h, as shown. The pair of end braces 71 employed at each end of the reach H are pivoted thereto on opposite sides, while their lower ends are shouldered against the frame-rails C, and the side braces h are shouldered at both ends and are separate and removable alone. Thus a supporting-frame for the top of the tent is provided which has four inclined sides to shed the water, and the'entire upper "struc- Lure is kept down in its place by the overspread canvas or cover of the tent. Forsuch cover and for the side walls of the tent any usual or suitable fabric may be employed; but in this instance it is assumed that the ordinary tent can vas is used.

' Now for convenience in erecting the tent and handling the canvas and for shipping and the like I make the side walls thereof in four equal interchangeable pieces or parts L and stretch the same from one post to another around the intervening corner-post D. To these ends I provide the posts E with any suitable and convenient means for fastening the edges of the canvas thereon, and I may use buttons 7 for this purpose or any other acceptable means of fastening, and as to this I do not care to'be more specific; but the four edges of the canvas side pieces L are provided with holes or the like for securing the same at the usual intervals upon the frame, which includes their upper and lower edges as well as their two side edges. This leaves tliecorrier-posts D free to stretch the canvas around, but without fastenings', and the said pieces L are interchangeable as to any one of the four several corners and sides and as to top and bottom, if that be found desirable. Now having the space between the intervening parts E on the four sides of thetent left open by this construction of wall I am enabled to utilize the said openings as doors and windows, as may be preferred, or I may close one or more of said openings entirely by but- I toning in a suitable piece of canvasfrom top to bottom. However, in Fig. 1 I showboth a door and a window, arid to form a window I have buttoned in a small piece of canvas N I at the bottom of the opening, leaving the window-space above the same, while the other space at the right of the figure is open for use as a door. Any suitable provision may be made for filling the window-space, such as a screen, to keep out the flies, or even a window-glass or glass frame for colder weather, and any suitable closure for the door-space may be employed, such as canvas, a screendoor, or any other door that will close the said space and be satisfactory to the occupant.

It will of course be understood that these cottage-tentsare designed to be used for summer purposes during warm weather when people desire to take an'outing for a month or longer; but they are also designed to be used for more or less permanent occupancy the year around in suitable latitudes where artificial warmth is not much in need or in cases where people desire to take as much of the open air as possible under shelter for 'health, as in the case of consumptives, and

the cottage-tent as thus shown and described is susceptible of various changes and modifications to promote comfort and convenience for all such uses and according as circumstances may require. It might, for example, have an inside canvas or other suitable lining, so as to provide an inner wall separate from the'outer wall and leaving an air-space between them for greater comfort in cool climates. r

What I claim is In cottage-tents, a knockdown frame having side rails at its top at right angles to each other and said rails having shouldered overlapping ends, in combination with cornerposts provided with supporting-shoulders and triangular extensions at their top having faces at rightangles adapted to bear flush against the inner'faces of said side rails in their meeting angle, and a tie-bolt diagonally across said corn'er'through both said rails and bearing against the outer face of said extension whereby all the abutting faces of said parts are wedged together. i

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY w. s rnoun.

Witnesses:

R. B. Mosnn, H. T. FISHER. 

